Online resource to help ophthalmologists qualify for Medicare bonus payments

Ophthalmologists will soon have a Web-based resource to report quality measures and qualify for bonus payments in the Medicare Physician Quality Reporting Initiative, the American Academy of Ophthalmology announced.

The AAO and American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery are sponsoring the system, which will enable ophthalmologists to report outcomes data more easily and qualify for 2% incentive payments, according to an AAO press release. The resource will be available at the end of March.

The Ophthalmic Patient Outcomes Database, from Outcome, enables ophthalmologists to gather and submit outcomes data through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services PQRI Registry, the release said.

"Ophthalmologists have had one of the highest participation and success rates, yet only about 70% of those participating in PQRI may be achieving the 2% Medicare bonus," David W. Parke II, MD, AAO executive vice president and CEO, said in the release. "This new resource makes the job of qualifying easier."

The database will let physicians better control what is sent to CMS; offer real-time status reports; streamline office procedures; separate PQRI reporting from claims reporting; let physicians compare their outcomes with a composite of their peers' outcomes; offer quality checks to minimize errors; and offer data transfers from practice management and electronic health record systems, the release said.

In addition, the system will allow participants to make one data transmission to CMS at the end of each reporting period, eliminating the need for additional CPT II and G codes, the AAO said.

AAO and ASCRS members who wish to participate in the system may call Outcome at 617-715-6898 or e-mail ophthalmicdatabase@outcome.com. Additional information is posted on the AAO's PQRI Web site at www.aao.org/advocacy/reimbursement/pqri and may be obtained by e-mailing pqri@aao.org.

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